


Creek Week 2019

by GuineapigQueen



Category: South Park
Genre: Adoption, Creek Week, M/M, Mpreg, Parenthood, Single Parents, Unplanned Pregnancy, if i think of more i'll update
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-12-27 15:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuineapigQueen/pseuds/GuineapigQueen
Summary: Here's my collection for Creek Week 2019! I tried to interpret the prompts as originally as I could. Day 1 is Roommates: The music was too loud again. It always is, it vibrates right through their apartment in a low rumble that sets off Craig's headache just so. He groans from his spot on the couch, feeling dead miserable.





	1. Day 1: Roommates

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I really enjoy fandom events so I thought I'd do creek week :)

The music was too loud again. It always is, it vibrates right through their apartment in a low rumble that sets off Craig's headache  _ just so.  _ He groans from his spot on the couch, feeling dead miserable. 

"I'll go talk to them" Tweek says kindly from the kitchen. He's making their dinner, although Craig sure he's up to eating it.

"They're drunk" Craig complains "they won't listen." 

"I'll  _ -ngh- _ try anyway" Tweek says "our lease says excessive noise isn't allowed anyway."

"It's on campus housing, where do they draw the line between campus party culture and excessive noise?" Craig questions. To him the situation feels hopeless. 

"I don't know, but worst case we'll  _ -ah-  _ move soon" Tweek assures him. Craig hopes that will be good, he and Tweek having a more adult space to work out their shit and start building their lives.

"I didn't think it would be like this" Craig whines pathetically. 

"What?" Tweek asks.

"Being pregnant" sure, he thought he might be sick for a bit and not like the weight he put on but he didn't think it would be this miserable. He thought he'd be glowing, feel so invigorated and thankful for the life growing inside of him. That he'd feel spiritual in some kind of way but it's not like that at all. He's in the second trimester but he feels more fatigued than ever, so nauseous he's barely able to eat and has a killer headache every day. He barely makes it to class and is a deadbeat of a roommate. It's not how he pictured pregnancy at all.

"Well, what did you expect?" Tweek questions him.

"To feel amazing knowing I was growing our baby" Craig replies grumpily.

"I'm sorry Craig, I really am but not  _ -hnn-  _ everything is like how it is on tv, dude" Tweek tries to sympathize but Craig's not really in the mood. 

"I know that" Craig snaps "I just wanted that like 'I'm a sacred vessel' experience alright?"

"I'm honestly so sorry you haven't got that. You definitely don't have it  _ -ah-  _ easy" Tweek hums in agreement. 

"It's just way harder than I imagined" Craig sighs sadly, placing a hand on the bump of his stomach. 

"I'll look after you both, no matter what  _ -nnn-  _ happens between us" Tweek promises.

Things between them aren't really defined. They're probably going to be a couple but they just have bigger fish to fry. They've got to find a new place to live and prepare for their baby's arrival. They can figure out their relationship later. 

It started out with them just being roommates. They liked each other a lot and hung out often. They had plenty of close moments where they snuggled on the couch or did something intimate like cook the other dinner. But the sleeping together was a drunken accident. After it happened they talked and decided that there were feelings and they probably were going somewhere but then the baby happened. The baby kind of stopped them in their tracks as their focus shifted. 

Tweek has been great throughout the whole thing though. He seems to get that Craig is feeling really unwell and really needs the extra help. Craig tries to be useful when he can, he tries to sometimes cook or clean here and there. But Tweek looks out for him, whatever their situation is, at the very least they're friends.

"Watch the stove for a sec?" Tweek asks "I'm gonna go talk to our  _ -gah-  _ neighbors." 

Craig groans, but acquiesces. 

—

Their neighbors are full of broken promises. They always promise not to be so loud, then get drunk and forget about it. It's what inspires them to really get off their asses and move. Well, they're still in the process of moving. They've negotiated to end their lease and are currently looking for the next place. Craig is glad to be moving, there's something weird about walking around student accommodation with a baby bump. 

"Do we…" Tweek trails off awkwardly "do we  _ -nghh-  _ get a two or  _ -ah-  _ three bedroom apartment?" He asks Craig while trawling listings.

"Oh" Craig says quietly "um, two? It'll be cheaper?" 

"Yeah but I guess that's us  _ -gah-  _ saying that we want to sleep in the  _ -hnn-  _ same bed? Is that what you want?" He presses.

"I mean, yes" Craig squeaks self consciously "I kind of already feel like we're together even if we don't talk about it."

"I think so too, I just wanted to be sure that you  _ -ah-  _ want the same things. I don't want to pressure you?" Tweek asks quietly. 

"Yeah" Craig agrees "I'm not good with big emotional talks but like, I like you, I like us and I like that we're gonna be a family." 

Tweek grins, "I'm glad we're on the same page dude."

"Definitely, you're the only one I'd wanna combine DNA with" Craig says, smiling. He snuggles a little closer to Tweek on the couch, resting a hand on his belly. Tweek uses his free hand to pat Craig's stomach. 

"What about the  _ -nghh-  _ raising part?" He asks cheekily.

"That too" Craig agrees.

"They're getting big now" Tweek hums "your poor belly."

"Yep, the muscles are so tight and sore" Craig complains "I think my belly button is gonna pop soon."

"That sounds so uncomfortable, sorry man" Tweek sympathizes "also, if I  _ -hnn-  _ look at this apartment will you come?"

"I'll come if I feel okay" Craig nods, he guides Tweek's hand so the he is rubbing the really tight spot underneath his belly button. He sighs happily when Tweek hits the spot.

"Cool, well I'm gonna book to see it. When we go pretend we've been  _ -gah-  _ a couple for a while, it'll look better on our rental history" Tweek explains. 

"Sure, that's better than explaining our little drunken accident miracle to strangers" Craig agrees.

—

When the day actually comes Craig isn't so sure he wants to go through with his promise. Mainly because he isn't getting any  _ less  _ pregnant and walking around touring a house sounds tiring. He's aware that it's important though, this is where they're going to live, where they're gonna start their lives together and where they'll raise their baby. It's too important not to be there making a joint decision with Tweek about their future. So he goes with Tweek, even if he is tired from morning classes and just wants to go lie down. 

They're viewing apartments, they can't afford a house. They're a little stretched affording a two bedroom with Craig no longer working but they'll work it out. It's not forever, Craig will go back to work as soon as he can after the baby arrives. They just need to get through this period. 

They can't afford to live in an upscale area or anything but they aren't in the heart of the ghetto. It seems like an okay neighborhood to have a family, but a lot of the areas around their college are like that. Not dangerous, but also not wealthy or fancy. Craig doesn't want to say affordable, because their pretty poor, but Tweek thinks they can swing it. And Tweek is much better at math than Craig.

"The building looks nice" Craig comments as they walk up to the complex, arm in arm. They're like  _ actually  _ a couple now and it's a bit weird. 

"It's relatively new" Tweek comments "I was thinking new might be easier  _ -nnn- _ to baby proof?"

"Maybe" Craig withdraws a little, being reminded just how  _ little  _ he knows about babies and parenting scaring him.

"It's near a  _ -gah-  _ bus stop too" Tweek changes the subject, "for work and school."

"That's great" Craig agrees, "how do we get in?"

"Realtor is  _ -nghh-  _ already up there, he'll buzz us in" Tweek assures him.

Craig is a little nervous, mainly because this is a huge decision but also he's a little worried the realtor will judge them for being young. As his pregnancy progresses Craig would be lying if he says he hasn't grown more anxious. He's worried about how much labor will hurt, if it will change things between him and Tweek in a negative way, he's worried that he won't be a good parent and just the sheer amount of things he  _ doesn't  _ know. How can ge possibly ready himself in a few months? It all feels like too much.

The realtor buzzes them in and meets them in the lobby, ready to take them up to the apartment. He doesn't seem judgemental or surprised by their age. Instead he just asks when the baby is due and if they had an easy trip to the neighborhood. It puts Craig at ease a bit more as they head into the elevator. 

"The apartment is on the fifth floor, will that be an issue?" He asks. 

"It should be fine" Tweek replies and Craig nods.

"The elevator makes it easier" he adds. He doesn't want to think about climbing five flights of stairs nine months pregnant or carrying a baby and groceries or something. But having the elevator doesn't make it a dealbreaker. 

Once the elevator has reaches the fifth floor the realtor leads them down the hallway until they're in front of a door painted blue. Apartment 5C. He unlocks the door and beckons them in. Craig is impressed by how clean the halls are.

"So here's the apartment" the realtor says "it's a two bedroom, so you can have a whole separate room for your baby, or a guest room if you're more into cosleeping."

"We haven't decided yet" Craig says in a small voice. He just feels so unsure about parenting. 

"The living room and the kitchen are attached, but that allows for open living and makes the apartment seem more spacious" he says.

Craig looks around. It's relatively basic, simple kitchen, small living room with a couch. It's clean and looks very livable. Craig could see themselves creating something here. Building their family. 

"Would you like to see the bathroom and bedrooms?" The realtor asks. 

Of course Craig and Tweek are keen.

Craig is kind of impressed the most by this apartment. It just seems like the best value, it basic but it's clean and relatively modern. It's in an okay neighborhood, it's just a really family friendly place.

Craig tells Tweek he wants it that day, they put in their application the next day and sign the lease by the end of the week. 

—

The actual moving is a bit of an ordeal. Craig can't help because he can't lift anything, but he does his best to help with the packing. Some of their friends from school help them move as well as Craig's dad. Craig is grateful for that extra help because he really isn't in a position to and there's no way Tweek could've done it on their own. 

They're settling in just fine though. They're slowly getting everything unpacked and making the place their own. It's different this time, living together now than before. In the old place they'd started out as just roommates. They hadn't known one another, and obviously they'd grown to become friends and then more than but Craig associates that place more with his own life. His single life. This new place is their place as a couple. A family home, it's their future. He and Tweek are beginning again, as a family. 

Today they're venturing out to tour the local hospital. They probably should have done this earlier on in the pregnancy but Craig hadn't really wanted to face it. He suspects Tweek hadn't wanted to either. But now Craig is just beginning his first trimester and they can't really put it off anymore. Craig thinks he might feel less anxious once he knows where he's having this baby. 

They wait at the reception desk at the birthing centre. It's all so clean and weirdly calm. Although Craig supposes it's not emergency so there is probably more planning here. He supposes there's people laboring in the ward and making noise there. 

"Hi" a nurse says brightly as she strolls in, it happens so quickly Craig jumps "I'm Ashley… oh sorry" she says with a wince.

"It's okay" Craig assures her "I just zoned out. I'm Craig" he replies.

"And I'm Tweek" Tweek continues. 

"Well, let me show you our birthing centre. When are you due?" She asks, punching in a code to let them into the ward. 

"July tenth" Craig replies, touching his stomach self consciously. 

"Oh, not too long. You must be excited" Ashley replies, not missing a beat.

"We are, we're just a bit  _ -ah- _ slow choosing the hospital" Tweek answers as they follow her into the ward.

"You're the closest to us though and we figured the closer the better, right?" Craig adds.

"It comes in handy if you find you're having a quick labor. Have you got any plans for your birth?" She continues. Craig is taken aback a little, he's not entirely sure.

"Ah no, I guess I want to see if I can do it without pain relief but uh, I also don't wanna take that option totally off the table" he tries to explain. He knows so little about what giving birth will actually be like… maybe he's naive to want natural. He doesn't know.

"Well, it's always a good idea to keep your options open. A lot of births never go entirely to plan anyway, but it's important for us so that we know what you want" Ashley explains.

"I  _ -ah-  _ think you should have an epidural if you need it" Tweek interjects. Craig is grateful for the support, hopefully if he caves he won't feel shitty about it with Tweek's support. 

"So you want to try natural but aren't opposed to epidural or intervention?" Ashley asks as she leads them down a hallway. 

"Yeah, basically" Craig shrugs, dragging his feet on the linoleum floor. 

"What about lesser pain relief like gas and air, or even morphine?" She fires back. 

"Not opposed to those at all" Craig replies, there's so many questions he barely knows the answers to.

"Good, I don't want you in  _ -gah-  _ pain" Tweek encourages.

"Okay well, definitely have a chat to your OB and you can create a more solid birth plan which will also be passed on to us here. If you should choose to have your baby here of course" she says with a smile. "This is one of our birthing rooms" she continues, gesturing towards it.

They head inside. It seems more personable than usual hospital room. Still just as clean but a bit more like a bedroom. 

"It's not totally soundproof, but it is very private. Depending on your wishes we can make it more or less private, you can also choose your level of medical intervention. Your OB can probably explain that to you on your next appointment" she explains as Tweek and Craig drink in the the room "we also have a tub for water birth, or just pain relief, and various aids like balls to sit on or things to hold on to if you want to squat."

"I haven't decided on a position" Craig admits, "but I like all these options."

"I like the  _ -gah-  _ water birth stuff" Tweek adds "if you're in a lot of pain you can get in there to help."

"I think I want to have the baby here" Craig says "if I can."

"Sure" Ashley says "come with me, I'll grab you some forms to fill out."

—

Going natural is thrown out the window almost from the get go. Craig is over a week overdue and extremely miserable. He is induced, something he hadn't wanted to happen but obviously his body had other ideas. 

Craig doesn't give up initially but the contractions induced by the pitocin are so strong. Later Craig finds out pitocin contractions can be even stronger than natural ones. But there's so much pain that Craig gives in and at first, has morphine. He does his best on only that but eventually he decides he needs the epidural. That decides his birthing position for him, in the bed on his back. It's okay, he's not devastated about it or anything but it is weird having people hold his legs up for him. There was a small part of him that wanted to do it as unassisted as possible but the induction had sort of thrown all those ideals out for him. The pain was way worse than he imagined, it made him panic and definitely give up on his drug free ideas. Even though he had the epidural and therefore had a bit of time to calm down and focus before actually having the baby he still remembers the pain. He remembers it just as strongly as he remembers the euphoria he felt when his child was put on his chest. He still decides its all worth it. 

He and Tweek have a son. A squishy, grumpy looking and screaming son. Craig loves him instantly, the rush overpowering any doubts or anxieties. Sure, he's still figuring out how to be a parent but he knows he'll do it.  _ They'll  _ be able to do it together. They'll learn as a family.

—

They name their new son Kyan and bring him home to their new apartment only 24hrs later. It's instantly weird, but not bad weird. Craig is still trying to wrap his head around that he is a parent. He and Tweek are entirely responsible for the welfare of their little one and that fact is still scary for him. He is almost waiting for someone to come in and say,  _ actually, I'm the adult not you.  _ But no, they're the grown ups and Kyan is their baby. 

Craig is terrified of screwing up, but his love for Kyan overtakes this. It lets him know that he can, and he will raise this child to the best of his ability. 

They're taking things slowly at the moment. It's about time they did, since they jumped so quickly into a committed relationship and then parenthood. School is on hold for the minute, but Tweek will go back with the new semester. Craig isn't sure if he will yet, he's definitely going back but he's not sure how long he'll take off. He figures he will play it by ear and see what Kyan needs. He gives himself a break, for once. 


	2. Day 2 - Summer Fling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig meets Tweek at work, because he never meets anyone anywhere else. It’s fine, he doesn’t mind that. He made a choice four years ago and he’s stuck by it. His social life is nada, his romantic life is even deader and that’s fine. It’s the life he’s chosen, the priorities he chooses. Work is not a place he expects to meet anyone in a meaningful way but it is the only place he gets adult interaction. So if he was going to meet anyone it would have to be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is day 2! This one got a bit long but I really enjoyed writing it!

Craig meets Tweek at work, because he never meets anyone anywhere else. It’s fine, he doesn’t mind that. He made a choice four years ago and he’s stuck by it. His social life is nada, his romantic life is even deader and that’s fine. It’s the life he’s chosen, the priorities he chooses. Work is not a place he expects to meet anyone in a meaningful way but it is the only place he gets adult interaction. So if he was going to meet  _ anyone  _ it would have to be there. 

Tweek is a regular and he orders his coffee as black as possible. Very few people order their coffee that black here, people usually want sugar or fancy syrup. People usually want something Instagram worthy. Tweek comes in because apparently no other place will make the coffee as black as he wants it. That and he had an eye on Craig, but Craig didn't know that then. 

Tweek started timing when he came in, always in after the rushes in the off period. When he knew Craig might have time to chat. Tweek wasn't a total letch or anything he'd just make awkward small talk. Craig found it oddly charming. He started asking Craig out after a few weeks of being a regular. He wasn't aggressive about it though, Craig would say maybe because he didn't want to say no. Tweek would say he'd try again another day. It was a bit of a dance they just been doing for a while, it became almost routine. 

Until one day Tweek stayed till close and asked why. He was polite, he waited until Craig had finished his work and didn't bother him in the meantime. Craig wasn't sure how to explain it. He told Tweek he'd like to, but his life was very complicated and he didn't have a lot of time to spare outside work. But Tweek was persistent, and Craig really did want to go on that date. So he decided to try once.

Craig had a more complicated life than most people in their early twenties. He's a single parent to a not quite four year old and his life consists of work, and then caring for her. A lot more work goes into raising a child then Craig ever could have thought before having her. He isn't sure he could devote any time to dating. 

His mom thought otherwise. She wanted him to go on that date, get some semblance of a social life back. So she agrees to watch his daughter for an evening. 

And that's how it all started. They're casually dating. It's summer, Craig thinks it probably won't go anywhere but he hadn't expected to like Tweek so much. He hasn't told Tweek he has a kid because he's scared to get attached. He's scared after summer Tweek will be gone and he'll be back by himself, as usual. He doesn't want his daughter Mya getting attached either. Her biological dad had already left them when Craig was still pregnant with her. He doesn't want her knowing that abandonment again. 

So he tries his best to enjoy the dates while they still last. Before they need to think about getting serious, and Tweek inevitably runs away. Like everyone else had. 

—

Craig got pregnant at sixteen, obviously it wasn't planned. Are any babies born to sixteen year old parents planned? Craig doesn't know any. There's teenage parents in South Park, Craig isn't the only one but he's the only one at his particular age and stage of life. He's also the only single one, most of the young parents Craig knows did the shotgun wedding thing. He doesn't know if any of those marriages are happy, but they're a thing.

Craig can't imagine it. He  _ thought  _ he was in love with Mya's dad but shit, they were never getting married. Craig was never gonna rush into a marriage over a broken condom. And he's very glad he didn't. There weren't even fights or anything dramatic, he just left. Just said he didn't want to be a parent, that he didn't love Craig anymore etc. Craig was upset that he left, but he wasn't exactly upset they split up. The longer they were apart the more he realized they weren't really in love. Craig is just sad for Mya, but his own parents are very involved grandparents so they sort of make up for the absence of parent #2. 

Craig's parents have always been supportive and have always wanted what's best for him. They didn't want to push him into a marriage when the relationship was already on shaky ground. They wanted him to make his own decisions regarding the baby. When he told them he wanted to keep her their only condition was finish school. So they've been pretty involved in Mya's care since she was small. They're the reason Craig has his high school diploma. Mya's dad went off to college after school ended and Craig has not heard from him since. Craig didn't go, he had a not-quite two year old and he felt like she was just too little to uproot and change their lives so much. Instead he started working at the coffee shop and has been there ever since. Maybe in the future he'll continue his education, but he wants to wait until Mya is older so that he won't miss so many precious moments with her. 

He and Mya share a bed most nights. He knows they shouldn't, and that Tricia's room is now Mya's room but she's been in with Craig for so long that the transition is harder than they expected. He's shared his room with her since she was born, Tricia has only just moved out to go to college and graciously donated her space to Mya. But both he and Mya are still a little too attached. Even if Craig tucks her in, in her big girl bed in Tricia's former room, she still often migrates back to his. It's a separation they are working on. 

But this morning their efforts have failed and Mya is curled against Craig's side when his alarm goes off. 

"Mya" Craig says groggily "You have your own room now."

"I miss you" she mumbles sleepily. 

"Well, now it's wakeup time my love" he says, stroking her hair.

"What today?" She asks, more awake now.

"Today I have work and you are going to play with grandma until I'm done" Craig explains, he can see her disappointment already. It's not that she doesn't love her grandma it's just that Craig works a lot. He feels guilty about it but it's summer and he wants to save as much money for them as he can. 

"I want to play with you," she complains. 

"I know you do, and I will play with you as soon as I come home" Craig promises, he'll probably be tired to the bone but he'll make time to play with Mya, always.

"Okay" Mya replies disappointedly, pouting a little. 

"What do you want to wear today? It's time to get up and dressed" Craig tries to change the subject. Mya is independent when it comes to clothes, which is a blessing for Craig because he has no real idea about fashion at all. Especially little girl fashion, he's learning from Mya as she becomes more articulate. 

"The purple dress!" Mya exclaims, successfully distracted. 

"You're so good with colours Mya" Craig praises her "let's go get your purple dress."

Once dressed Craig heads out to the living room to make breakfast. He just has toast and coffee but he chops up a banana and puts it in with yogurt and muesli for Mya. Craig is happy she likes her fruit now, he knows she may change her mind when she's older. 

"Good morning my babies" his mom says happily as she enters the room. 

"Morning" Craig replies "Mya, don't play with your food, you'll ruin your purple dress!" Craig chastises her. 

"Sorry" she says but Craig knows she's more concerned with the dress than with his reprimand. 

His mom seamlessly takes over, watching Mya eat and getting her to brush her hair while Craig gets dressed and ready for his day at work. 

On certain weekdays Craig will take Mya with him and drop her off at preschool on the way. These are his favorite days because he gets that little but more time with her. But that's not today, today is a weekend and his mom is home and happy to watch her. 

So he has to leave her, she's a bit clingy and sad to see him go. Wanting lots of hugs and kisses but Craig stays strong and heads off for work. His heart is still heavy, it doesn't get any easier no matter how many times he does it.

—

As predicted Tweek arrives after the morning rush on the dot. He always does, Craig looks forward to his little visits now. He isn't sure whether he should be calling Tweek his boyfriend or not. He's not really sure they're there, casually dating is probably better. He's going to be sad when whatever he has with Tweek ends so he tries his best to enjoy it now while it's still good. 

"Morning!" Tweek says excitedly with a bright smile. Tweek always has more energy in the morning than Craig does. 

"Not for much longer" Craig points out "it'll be lunch soon." 

"Don't make me  _ -hnn- _ think about lunch" Tweek says with a frown. Tweek manages a busy restaurant not far down the road and he knows the lunch rush probably even more that Craig does. 

"Yeah, at least I don't have to make people food" Craig agrees.

"So how was your  _ -ah-  _ morning?" Tweek asks him, always genuinely interested even though Craig often has the same boring answers. 

"About the same as always, didn't wanna wake up and go to work" he purposely leaves out Mya and the extra work involved in getting a toddler ready for the day. 

"I feel that, man" Tweek sympathizes "then I remembered we're going out tonight and I realised  _ -nnn-  _ getting up was worth it."

"You're smooth" Craig laughs "you know I gotta go home first though right?"

"Yeah of course, I want a shower after work too" Tweek replies.

"Cool" Craig says with a smile. Tweek is so nice, if only he knew what Craig's crazy home life was like.

"Can I pick you up this time? It's really no  _ -nghh- _ problem for me" Tweek offers. Craig has never had Tweek pick him up or drop him off. He's scared he might end up seeing Mya and Craig having to explain himself right then and there. He feels he needs to keep Tweek and Mya as separate as possible. 

"No it's fine, I'll meet you at the restaurant. Thanks though" Craig replies, trying his best not to seem rude.

"Okay, I'll talk you into it one day though" Tweek says.

"Maybe one day" Craig agrees guilty. 

"I have to go back to  _ -nnn-  _ work now, but can I get a quick kiss?" Tweek asks. Sometimes Craig has to say no because of customers or co workers but its quiet today so he nods and gives Tweek a quick peck. 

"Have a good rest of the day," he says.

"I will, see you tonight" Tweek calls on his way out.

"Yeah" Craig sighs, trying to ignore the butterflies. 

—

Butterflies are a bad sign. Mya's dad gave Craig butterflies and nothing good ever came from that. Well, apart from Mya, of course. Craig loves Mya very much but he isn't looking to accidentally have another Mya. He isn't looking to fall in love and get left again. It's too hard and too much. That's why he pushes away his burgeoning feelings for Tweek. He's terrified history will repeat and he'll be left high and dry, and worse off than before. It's obviously not likely, Craig is on birth control despite being pretty much celibate since having Mya. He's fastidious about it, he doesn't think he's gonna let himself get pregnant again but shit, love is such a slippery slope and he's so afraid to go down it. 

He keeps his promise and plays with Mya as soon as he gets home. He's already arranged with his mom and dad that he's going out tonight. He does as much as he can with Mya before it's time for him to get ready. Normally he'd spend much more time with her but his parents are very adamant that he still has some kind of social life. Even if he only goes out every now and then. But he likes Tweek and it's getting harder and harder to say no. 

"Have you told him about Mya yet?" His mom asks him. His dad is currently giving Mya a bath while Craig gets ready. His mom is just lingering, being nosy. 

"No, I'm really not sure we're that serious" Craig replies.

"Do you like him though?" She presses. Craig wishes she wouldn't, he appreciates that she wants him to spend time with people his own age but he needs to handle this by himself.

"Yes" he doesn't go into it further. 

"Well don't you  _ want  _ to be serious?" She asks. 

"Yes… but also no" Craig shrugs, hoping she'll leave it alone. She doesn't. 

"You're going to need to tell him Craig, he's going to feel lied to if you leave it long enough," she points out. Craig knows this, but this entails Tweek wanting more than just a summer fling. 

"I'm afraid he'll leave" Craig admits "everyone leaves."

"Oh Craig" she says, moving closer to give him a hug "sometimes people surprise you. Sometimes you've got to just go for it and do something for yourself."

"I know" Craig replies, he just doesn't know if he can bring himself to take the plunge.

When it's time to go Craig goes to kiss Mya goodbye, she's all snug in her towel after the bath. Craig can't believe he made something so cute, he gives her a hug for good measure even if she's still a little damp.

"I love you" he tells her.

"Love you too" she replies with a cheeky smile as Craig heads out again. 

He kind of has to psych himself up the whole way there. To remind himself why he is going out tonight even though his fatherly instinct is telling him to turn around. 

He feels a little better when he sees Tweek out front of the restaurant. They share a kiss after greeting each other, then walk in holding hands.

The conversation is pleasant as they order and wait for their food. Tweek offers to pay but Craig declines, he orders the cheapest thing on the menu though. He thinks Tweek notices. 

"So are you ever gonna let me see your place?" Tweek asks "oh… but not in a  _ -gah-  _ creepy way, man. I just wanna know more about you."

"My place is a bit chaotic" Craig tries to explain "yours is way more private."

"Still I wanna see what it's like. I dunno man, you just never wanna  _ -nghh-  _ tell me anything about yourself… do you not like me or  _ -gah-  _ something? Are all these dates just pity dates?" Tweek asks nervously, wringing a napkin in his hands.

"No absolutely not! I'm just… my life is really complicated and I'm kind of worried it'll scare you away" Craig struggles to put him at ease.

"No way, I  _ want  _ to know these things about you. Even the not so perfect things" Tweek presses "I want you to  _ -nghh-  _ let me in."

"It's just…" Craig thinks of his mom, maybe Tweek is already feeling lied too. Craig doesn't want that, so he decides to just bite the bullet.

"It's just that I actually… I actually have a child at home" he finally confesses. 

"Oh" Tweek replies, looking shocked and clearly speechless.

"Yeah so I'm sorry if you feel deceived or anything… if you want me to go I can…" Craig mumbles, his heart sinking.

"What? No! Look I'm a little  _ -gah-  _ shocked but it's not a dealbreaker. I really like you, man" Tweek jumps in, scrambling to assure Craig.

"It's not a dealbreaker?" Craig asks, surprised. 

"No, that  _ -hnn-  _ explains a lot actually. Can you… do you feel comfortable telling me more about your kid?" Tweek asks. He sounds genuine, the same way he is when he asks about Craig's day.

"Uh okay, her names Mya. She's nearly four, her favorite colour is purple and I'm a single parent to her. Well, obviously or else I wouldn't be here dating you" Craig explains. 

"I'd hope so. Mya is a nice name. That'd  _ -ah-  _ make you young huh?" Tweek asks, clearly doing the math in his head.

"Sixteen. Mya's dad left me pregnant and terrified so I'm a bit… jittery about relationships" Craig says, a little ashamed to admit how young he was. 

"Wow, that's actually really impressive. That you're able to work so hard and  _ -nnn-  _ provide for her" Tweek moves the conversation to a lighter note, Craig is silently appreciative.

"I do my best" he replies.

"Can I meet her some time?" Tweek asks. Craig feels his heart freeze in fear, he's spent so much time and effort to keep his two worlds apart and now Tweek wants then to collide so suddenly. 

"Look, Tweek I really like you but… I can't introduce you to her unless you're serious. If this is just some, casual summer thing I can't really let you into her life" Craig says, deciding to lay out the boundaries now.

"Oh, Craig" Tweek says, "I think we've got our  _ -ah-  _ wires crossed, man. I… this isn't some fling for me. I like you a lot, like,  _ a lot _ a lot and I am  _ -nghh-  _ serious about us. Your daughter is a super important person to you, so of course I want to meet her and build our relationship."

"I thought you might run away when I told you about Mya" Craig admits, still unsure how they manages to get this far.

"No way Craig. I'm serious about you and me, so that means I will be  _ -hnn-  _ serious about her too" Tweek assures him. 

"Is this definitely what you want?" Craig has to make sure, he has to  _ be  _ sure. 

"Definitely, we can be  _ -ah-  _ Facebook official and everything" Tweek grins.

"Give me some time, let me decide the right time for you and Mya to meet" Craig says. He's stalling a little but he knows they've also made so much progress tonight. Change is coming. 

"Sure, you're her parent and I'll follow your lead" Tweek promises, taking Craig's hand across the table.

—

Craig takes a deep breath, heart hammering in his chest. Today is the day. Tweek and Mya will finally meet. 

They've been dating for a month or so now and Craig feels he can no longer put it off. Tweek has a genuine interest in Mya. He likes to ask about her, what she likes, does she have a favorite toy, favourite food? Things like that. It's sweet, Tweek is genuinely interested in this part of Craig's life and patiently waits until he can be a part of it. Craig doesn't want to separate them any longer so he's arranged for Tweek to come over to meet her. He's told Mya about Tweek too, Mya still hasn't quite the concept of boyfriend yet but special friend works just fine. He's told her some stories and shown her some pictures to try and introduce the idea of him to her. Today they'll meet for real though. 

They're both waiting in the living room when Tweek knock on the door. Mya springs up to get it, even though she cannot reach the doorknob. Craig picks her up and opens it for him.

"Hello!" Tweek says happily, Mya smiles shyly. Craig lets Tweek give him a peck on the cheek.

Mya is being quiet and definitely feeling shy but Craig isn't very surprised. She's often shy on a first meeting, he warned Tweek as such.

"And this must be Mya" Tweek says "nice to meet you Mya, I'm Tweek" he holds out his hand to shake. Mya looks at it for a minute, deciding her next move, Tweek holds his ground and leaves the hand there for her, smiling. Finally she grabs it and shakes. 

"Tweek is a funny name," she says, and both Tweek and Craig burst into laughter. 


	3. Day 3 - Sharing a Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek can't remember the last time they had sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter but I hope you enjoy my take on the prompt and the humour.

Tweek can't remember the last time they had sex. Probably the last time their daughter stayed at grandma and grandpas. It's not that the passion has gone from their relationship. They want to,  _ oh god how they want to  _ but parenthood has proved more challenging than they'd anticipated. 

Tweek doesn't think you can ever be ready for parenthood. You can't anticipate fully what it's really like. It doesn't matter how much you plan you just have to jump in. Their daughter, Billie, was planned, they've been married since their early twenties, done the travel thing and found the house. A baby felt like the next step. They planned her though, making sure they had the space, taking parenting classes before Craig was even pregnant and really trying to learn exactly what this child would need. 

They'd had a pretty regular sex life before kids and it had been such a shock to the system when all that stopped. Craig still wanted to have sex throughout his pregnancy, less frequently granted but they still got the job done. And then they had a baby. She needed them 24/7 and to save time with the feeding they had her sleeping in the same room. At first just in a bassinet by their bed but as she grew she began co sleeping with them. It wasn't even a decision really, it just kind of happened. 

She's three this year and is still co sleeping with them. Tweek and Craig want their bed back but she won't budge. They're still trying to figure all out, Craig has been talking about wanting another baby and Tweek has always wanted more than one child. He also wanted them reasonably close together so that they could be playmates. Tweek is down for baby number two but how can they even begin  _ trying  _ when Billie has colonised their bed. 

It's time to get her into her own room, whether she is ready or not.

—

Tweek has found that bribery is a good strategy with toddlers. Billie likes the colour blue, much her father does. She also likes cats so Tweek and Craig figure they can maybe bribe her by doing up her room. A blue room with some cat decals could coax her into sleeping separately, surely?

They try to frame it as something super important.  _ Don't you want your own big girl bed? Don't you want a room of your very own? It's all yours, we can paint it whatever colour you want? Of course you can have cats, but you just have to  _ stay  _ there all night.  _

It turns out making over a room is harder than they realised. First, Billie cannot sleep in it while it's being repainted. So she's in with them as the guest room holds no reward or value to her. They're sort of back to square one but they hope it'll be worth it. Secondly, it's not a super quick process. They're painting the room blue and adding a wallpaper frieze at the top of her bedroom walls with cats on it. They also bought her a bunch of wooden letters that spell her name on the door. To try and really make it hers, and make her want to claim it. 

Billie seems excited by the process. Wanting to check on the progress each day. Tweek is doing the majority of the painting and Craig will help him with the frieze when they're ready. They've let Billie do a little painting, but she's almost three so she's not exactly productive. It's a nice gesture anyway. 

They not only decorate the walls but also the bed. They manage to find a blue cover with cats on it on amazon for her bed and a cute clock shaped like a cat to hang on the wall. Of course safety rail for the bed and all Billie's stuffed cat toys. 

On their first night with the finished room their hopes are high. Billie is excited, they've hyped up the new room and the idea of  _ being a big girl.  _ They hope this new arrangement will be a hit. Throughout her bedroom routine they keep reminding her  _ big girls stay in their own beds all night.  _ When they put her down she doesn't act upset, settling into bed well and being predominantly quite.

Giving Tweek and Craig so much false hope. 

By midnight Billie is back, squirming until she is between them. She cries when Tweek takes her back to her room. Tweek ends up staying with her for a few hours. And while technically she slept in her own room, Tweek and Craig did not get any alone time. Tweek ended up in her room, comforting her back to sleep. And by the time the sun streams through in the morning, Billie is again back claiming her rightful place between them.

This is going to be harder than they thought. 

—

It continues like that. Billie coming in and out as she pleases. Some days are better than others and some nights she  _ almost  _ stays the whole night through. But not enough times, she's stubborn and apparently very dedicated to the idea of sleeping in their bed with them. 

"I'm going  _ -gah-  _ crazy" Tweek says to Craig while Billie is down for a nap. She naps in her bedroom just fine, but her naps are only a few hours. The night time is a whole different beast. 

"I want my bed back" Craig agrees, "I love her but she needs to learn."

"I can't believe she doesn't  _ -ah-  _ want her own space. She's an  _ -nghh-  _ independent child during the day? It's weird" Tweek comments.

"It's probably just insecurity, we're our most vulnerable at night after all" Craig points out "I read that she'll probably start wanting her own space soon. She just hasn't hit that developmental marker yet." 

"It's just, we never get to  _ be  _ together anymore, I miss that" Tweek admits, trying his best to say it nicely.

"I miss it too babe but we did know that things were gonna slow down once we had kids" Craig replies. 

"Yeah I know but this is literally a complete halt, and we aren't  _ -nghh-  _ even like… we're happy together and stuff" Tweek tries his best to explain. They're not on the rocks or anything. The romance is definitely still there, under layers of baby mess and toys. 

"Just as in love as the day I met you" Craig promises "the spirit is willing, but the Billie says no." 

"Maybe we should lock her door, she's so tall like you are" Tweek shrugs. She's like a cat, always finding a way to reach the doorknob or open the door.

"That seems kinda mean" Craig winces at the idea.

"I know it's just… toddlers are so cunning. I have no idea how to stop her  _ -nnn-  _ coming in" Tweek replies. He hates the idea too but he's just so desperate at this point. 

"Patience, I guess?" Craig suggests, very unhelpfully. 

"More waiting" Tweek groans.

"I can watch her if you wanna jerk off in the shower" Craig laughs with a shrug.

_ "Don't"  _ Tweek warns, not in the mood.

"I'm joking, I love you okay? She  _ will  _ eventually stay. We just have to keep trying" Craig tries to comfort him "give me a kiss" he demands "she'll be awake again in a minute."

Craig is right. Craig often right. Tweek is usually more patient with Billie anyway but everyone has a breaking point. The rest of their day is just business as usual. It's a Saturday so both parents are home with Billie, all together as family all day. Craig is usually the stay at home parent, Tweek is an accountant who is a partner at his firm. If they were going to have kids it was always going to be this way, as Tweek can only give up so many working hours. If they weren't planning on having another baby Craig probably would've gone back to work but it seems pointless at the moment. Tweek is sure that he will go back but for now, they're okay where they are. 

They try their hardest to tire Billie out by playing with her. They can do other chores when she's asleep, they just have to get her to  _ stay.  _ She's not keen on eating her veggies at dinner, but she never is. She's stubborn and that is the first battle of wills for the night. The second is bath time, the third is putting on pyjamas and actually climbing into bed. Tweek bribes her on that last one with a bedtime story. He usually only reads her stories on weekends, so it's a treat. 

Their efforts seem to have worked. Billie falls asleep before the ending of the book. Tweek manages to sneak out, Billie out like a light. Tweek can't believe their luck. And when they wait, one hour passes, two, three… maybe she's going to stay.

Maybe this is  _ the  _ night.

They aren't exactly picky. Any contact is good contact. Lots of kissing, fumbling with their hands. Not a lot of time to prep… then they can't find the lube… god, it's been  _ so  _ long. Where the hell could the lube have gotten to.

"Maybe we have vaseline?" Craig suggests "that's safe right?"

"It's a good thing you want to  _ -nnn-  _ get pregnant" Tweek replies "cause these condoms are out of date."

"That is parenthood in a nutshell" Craig quips "c'mon Tweek be quick! She'll wake up soon I know it!" 

" _ I'm looking"  _ Tweek replies in frustration "there's  _ -gah-  _ vaseline in here, google if it's safe."

"Daddy?" a small voice interview. 

"Oh… sh- shoot" Craig quickly censors himself, pulling the sheet up over his body. 

Tweek is shirtless but still has boxers on at least so he sighs and heads back out to the bedroom from the ensuite. 

"Hey baby, what's the matter?" He asks her.

"Wanna sleep with you," she says, pointing to the bed.

"Not tonight" Tweek replies firmly "remember big girls sleep in their  _ -hnn-  _ big girl beds."

Billie shakes her head and begins to bawl, which only increases in intensity as Tweek carries her back to her bedroom. She doesn't calm, she tantrums instead. 

The idea of any kind of adult things happening tonight goes out the window. Instead they take turns trying to settle Billie. And when she finally does, they pass out from sheer exhaustion. 

—

"You do realise this will happen again right, once we have our second baby?" Craig points out. It's after midnight and Tweek has just returned after going another round with Billie. She's staying in for longer now, so that's an improvement but it still isn't all night.

It reminds Tweek of when she was a newborn, kind of. 

"Maybe our next baby will be a  _ -nghh- _ better sleeper?" Tweek suggests hopefully. He snuggles in close to Craig as he gets under the covers. 

"Maybe" Craig hums tiredly "but they'll still go through the newborn phase and whatever this transition Billie's going through now."

"I know" Tweek says "but I do think the right time is  _ -nnn-  _ now" he admits, "we don't want them to be too far apart in age and you're already off work… unless you don't feel ready?"

"I'm ready, it's just, our sex life might go through a drought again" Craig points out "I just want  _ you  _ to be sure."

"I'm sure" Tweek says with a smile "I love Billie and I love being a parent with you, even if we have sex less and sometimes she  _ -hnn-  _ drives me crazy. All those things are worth it, and I'd love for her to have a sibling."

"We can make the most of the "trying" period?" Craig suggests "I didn't lose my drive when I was pregnant with Billie, maybe it'll be the same the second time around?" 

Tweek likes to hope that this will be true but even if it isn't he'll survive. He'll respect Craig no matter what, Craig will be bringing his child into the world. His health, wellbeing and feelings are much more important to Tweek.

"We can hope, but you know I  _ -ah-  _ love you beyond that right? What we have? It's worth way more than being free to have  _ -nghh-  _ sex every night. It's better" Tweek tries to explain, joining his fingers with Craig's. 

"I know, you're pretty much the only person I'd want to do this with. I didn't want any babies before you" he says happily, squeezing Tweek's hand.

"I love you so much, and I  _ -gah-  _ think Billie is gonna make an awesome big sister" Tweek replies and gives Craig a kiss on his cheek.

"Me too, let's get some sleep while we still can babe?" He suggests tiredly.

"Yeah, definitely" Tweek hums in agreement as they settle in together, intertwined. 

—

Tweek is beginning to think they're losing the battle and that their baby making plans will all have to be put on hold when Billie surprises him. He's never had anyone surprise him as many times as his toddler has, kids are just so weird. 

It happens all of a sudden, suddenly Billie wants to do  _ everything  _ by herself. She doesn't want help getting dressed, she doesn't want help drying herself after a bath and she most definitely doesn't want anyone sleeping with her in  _ her  _ bed. Craig is clearly right, some developmental leap has happened and they're only just realizing it. Tweek wonders if maybe her few days at preschool are to blame. Maybe other kids there have their own rooms so Billie now wants her own too. Tweek can't know for sure but he's glad she's had such a dramatic change of heart. 

They don't expect it on the first night she stays in her own bed. In fact, they're on edge waiting for her to demand to get in theirs. Tweek doesn't really realise what happens until he wakes at some godforsaken hour to piss. She never came in… they got sleep uninterrupted… they got their bed back! He doesn't wake Craig, instead after going to the bathroom he just sneaks back in and drifts off happily.

Later he realises how lame it is that they spent their first night without Billie related interruptions just sleeping. 

They don't want to jinx it so they assume the next night will be difficult. But it isn't. Billie stays in her own room, her own  _ bed  _ again. And again, and again, and again… until Tweek begins to lose track. Until this becomes the new routine. 

Tweek feels almost like a kid in a candy store, but he doesn't want to pressure Craig. He realises this of course, is in vain as Craig all but pounces on him one night.

"It's  _ our  _ bed" Craig says, "and we're taking it back,  _ now." _

—

Tweek is tired when he finally drags himself home after a long day at work. Craig has been at home with Billie, he's sent through a few cute pics of her playing. Sometimes Tweek wishes he could stay at home too but he knows that he'd definitely miss work too much. More than Craig does definitely. 

"Where's Billie?" Tweek asks as he spots Craig waiting for him in the living room.

"She's in her room playing, I have the monitor on don't worry," he promises.

"Oh good" Tweek replies, "Well, how was your  _ -ah-  _ day then?" He asks, pulling his husband in close for a kiss.

"Good" Craig says when they part "I have something for you."

"Something for me?" Tweek frowns "why?"

"Okay so, I thought maybe I was being paranoid but uh, well… read it for yourself" Craig says, handing Tweek what he instantly recognizes as a plastic pregnancy test.

A positive one.

"Whoa, already?" Tweek gasps "we only just started  _ -nghh-  _ trying!"

"I thought so too but, the stick said positive, so I went and got a digital one from CVS and yeah… it's really early though. I'm only like three weeks, so we probably shouldn't tell anyone" Craig explains. 

"Holy shit" Tweek says, but he's smiling wide "I love you!" He reaches for Craig, pulling him into a tight hug.

"You ready to start the co sleeping drama all over again?" Craig jokes.

"No" Tweek replies, "but I'm ready for a whole new  _ -ah-  _ parenting adventure with you." 


	4. Day 4 - Religion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hate this place" Craig grumbles to Tweek. They're using what little free time they're allotted just to sit around. Craig doesn't really feel like doing anything of note in his free time. Both he and Tweek are about seven months pregnant (give or take) and stuck in a catholic laundry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one is a little angsty. There is adoption and it's set in the catholic laundries, I didn't have time to make it super historically accurate but I based it on what I know from the Australian laundries. I picture this to probably be set in the 50's but I didn't really specify the time. I also based this on an rp @PBJellie and I were doing, I only used the concept though the characters here are different.

"I hate this place" Craig grumbles to Tweek. They're using what little free time they're allotted just to sit around. Craig doesn't really feel like doing anything of note in his free time. Both he and Tweek are about seven months pregnant (give or take) and stuck in a catholic laundry. 

Craig himself isn't exactly catholic. His parent's are but his parents are generally quite supportive, not restrictive. If the situation was different Craig wouldn't be here, if they had the money or the means he'd be at home getting ready to have his baby. But it's not to be, his family can't afford to help him so this is his fate. His baby will be adopted, he'll be sent home and he'll have to try and resume his life like nothing ever happened. His parents will have him home and they'll look after him but they can't afford a new baby, that's the bottom line. 

"Nobody  _ wants _ to  _ -gah-  _ be here" Tweek quips. Tweek is like that, instead of getting into emotions he's just sarcastic or sassy. Craig used to be a bit like that too, but pregnancy hormones have made him a mess. A terrified, sentimental, sixteen year old mess. 

Craig thinks he wants his baby, he's attached definitely but the idea of being a single parent? Pretty much unheard of and at the end of the day he wants his baby to have a good life. Craig doesn't think he can provide that, even though he desperately wishes he could. He doesn't know Tweek's story, even though they've known each other a few months now. Tweek doesn't talk about his past much besides a few sarcastic barbs every now and then. While he's a bit of a bitch, he's nice to Craig. He listens, even if he doesn't really empathise and he's protective. If anyone wanted to be mean, take his shit or make his life harder for whatever reason Tweek would jump in for him. They spend all their free time together as well as sleeping in beds next to one another. When the nuns are in bed, Tweek will sometimes sneak into Craig's bed and they'll cuddle. It's getting harder and harder to fit as both their bellies grow, though. 

Craig knows Tweek doesn't like being pregnant. He shows little interest in his baby beyond rubbing his stomach if he gets kicked too hard. He likes to pretend it's not happening and he gets kind of annoyed with Craig whenever he brings it up.

"I know that" Craig replies curtly "I just… I hate that I have to come here and hide."

"You hate society" Tweek observes "that we're looked  _ -nnn-  _ down on and the dicks who knocked us up go scot free."

"I'm mad that he had the choice to leave, because I can't get an abortion and like, I'm not allowed to keep my baby either" Craig tries to explain. The catholic in him wasn't going to let him get rid of the baby, practicing or not. Although his parents are generally very supportive he's not sure they'd forgive him if he did  _ that.  _ Craig doesn't think he'd forgive himself either. The rules of Catholicism are so contradictory and confusing. 

"Don't refer to them as your baby, it'll hurt less when you  _ -hnn-  _ give them up" Tweek advises. He advises this like, ten times a day but Craig doesn't ever listen.

"But they  _ are  _ my baby. I want them to be mine for as long as I am allowed to" Craig asserts. They are  _ his  _ even if he can't be the one to raise them. Maybe he can write letters, and maybe they'll want to find him when they're eighteen. He feels guilty and he can't stand the idea of this unborn baby thinking that he doesn't love them. 

"You're gonna be sad when they take it off you" Tweek chastises.

Craig knows, but he thinks it's worth it. 

—

"Ugh" Tweek groans, shifting his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable as they both bust their asses working in the laundry. 

It's clearly a bad day for him because he keeps stopping to take breaths and rubbing his stomach. He usually avoids touching it unless he's really feeling shitty. 

Craig understands the feeling, they're both in the third trimester and being on their feet all day like this can't be good for anyone. 

Nobody cares though, because they're just whores. They're being punished for all their sin. The church are doing them a favor by housing them and taking their babies for them. There's no sympathy here for stupid pregnant teenagers. 

"Are you okay?" Craig asks, because he cares. Tweek needs to know that someone does. 

"I'm okay" Tweek grits "I'm just  _ -nghh-  _ uncomfortable."

"No pain?" Craig has to check, Tweek is absolutely the type to hide his pain. 

"Nah, just being abused from the  _ -ah-  _ inside," he says with a small laugh.

"Good, have a lie down when work is over" Craig instructs, Tweek rolls his eyes at him good naturedly. 

"I will, don't worry about me. Gah, I can't wait to have this  _ -hnn-  _ baby and get out, you got plans?" He complains, pacing a hand at his back.

"Uh, I think the plan is to go back with my parents and finish school" Craig shrugs. He's pretty sure its business as usual once the baby's out.

"You think?" Tweek repeats with amusement. 

"Yeah well, that's what they want me to do. I guess later on if I can find someone I'll get married" Craig tries to explain. The future is try to have a normal life, he supposes. 

"I hope you get what you want" Tweek says wistfully, "I'm not going back to my  _ -gah- _ parents, no way."

"What will you do instead?" Craig knows he's more likely to get a real answer asking questions this way instead of directly asking why Tweek hates his parents so much.

"Anything, I'll become a whore for  _ -nnn-  _ real if I have to" Tweek says, so flippantly it worries Craig. 

"Don't do that" he replies sadly. 

"The dream is simple, find a  _ -nghh-  _ regular job and my own little place but I'll do gnarly things to get there if I  _ -ah-  _ have to" Tweek explains.

"I don't want that for you" Craig winces "you should go back to school."

"For once in my life Craig, I am going to  _ -nghh-  _ do what I want. Not what my parents want, not what  _ -ah- he  _ wants, not what the baby wants, not what God wants - what  _ I  _ want. Just me" Tweek asserts. Craig doesn't think he's ever heard Tweek speak so passionately about anything before.

"I want you to be happy, and safe" Craig says to his friend.

"You can't always get what you want Craig, as you and I know  _ -hnn-  _ well" Tweek replies, his sarcasm very much back. Craig winces at the remark, Tweek knew it would hurt him. 

"Are you… are you scared about labor?" He asks Tweek, Tweek can't be nonchalant about  _ everything  _ surely? 

"Yes, terrified. But I can't  _ -gah-  _ dwell on that, I have to keep moving forward. I'll cross that bridge when I  _ -nnn-  _ get to it" he dismisses. 

"It's gonna hurt so much and then we get no baby at the end… it keeps me awake at night" Craig admits, placing a hand on his stomach. 

"I'll be honest with you Craig, that's the part I've been  _ -hnn-  _ looking forward to" Tweek sighs, turning away slightly. 

"What do you mean?" Craig replies. He knows, he just doesn't want to face the harsh reality. 

"I don't want this baby Craig, you know that" Tweek says firmly. Not interested in playing in metaphors today.

"I don't understand, surely deep down…" Craig fumbles. He always wanted to believe that Tweek loves his child deep down, there's just some horrible trauma blocking his access to those emotions, or something similar. 

"No. I would've gotten  _ -gah-  _ rid of it if my parents weren't so…  _ religious _ " Tweek says the word with such fervor and resentment "I wish it would just go away… or never existed. I don't  _ want it."  _

"Don't you love them just a tiny bit?" Craig almosts pleads, wishing for some kind of hope.

"If I let myself love them it'll hurt when I let them go" Tweek admits "I want my own life Craig, I'm not the  _ -ah-  _ same as you." 

—

Tweek and Craig can no longer fit in the same bed anymore, so Craig ignores the pain in his back and hips as he crouches at Tweek's bedside. Tweek shudders with every wave of pain flowing through his body, Craig feels him stiffen and hears him groan quietly. It's just Braxton Hicks, but it's clearly strong enough to make Tweek very uncomfortable. Craig holds his hand tightly, he's not comfortable in this position at all but Tweek has totally done this for him when he had his first bout with Braxton Hicks so Craig feels he should definitely do the same. 

"Continuous, not on and off yeah?" Craig whispers into the darkness. Trying his best not to wake the other sleeping teenagers. 

"Mmhmm" Tweek grits out. Craig takes his free hand and uses it to stroke Tweek's hair. He'd been using that arm to take some of his weight, so now there's much more pressure on his hips. He ignores the ache for Tweek's sake. He knows that when it was him in this position all he'd wanted was someone to hold him. He tries to provide that same comfort for Tweek as best he can. 

"You're doing good" he comforts "it'll be over soon and we can go back to moaning about our stretch marks." 

"Mine are  _ -nghh-  _ worse" Tweek manages to say in a strangled tone. Craig likes that he's apparently using his sense of humor to distract him through the pain.

"Only because you're paler, my bump is bigger and I have more" Craig teases back.

"Are you kidding? I'm  _ -nrgh-  _ all bump" Tweek stops to take a breath "like I swallowed a bowling ball." 

They both stop to laugh at the silliness of the situation, Craig realises Tweek's grip on his hand has loosened. 

"Maybe… maybe I feel a bit  _ -ah-  _ better" Tweek says "I think it's starting to go away." 

"Good, I hate seeing you in pain" Craig admits.

"Thank you Craig… you must… your back must ache so much" Tweek replies, voice filled with emotion. 

"I'll survive, everything hurts already, what's one more thing" Craig tries his best to shrug it off. Friends do things like that for one another, they just happen to be two pregnant friends in a home for unwed teenagers. 

"I've never had anyone just  _ be there  _ for me before…" Tweek trails off. Craig can't believe it, why would someone like Tweek be so alone in the world?

"Well I'm here, whenever you need okay?" He assures Tweek "we're in this together." 

"Thanks Craig I… I probably wouldn't have gotten through this  _ -hnn-  _ experience without you" Tweek admits quietly. It's probably the most emotional he's been the entire time they've been here. 

"Me either, let's try to get some sleep though. You need a rest after all that" Craig replies softly.

"Okay, goodnight Craig" Tweek says into the darkness.

"Night, Tweek" Craig hums. 

It's not to be though, Craig thinks he may have gotten a few hours of sleep. He's uncomfortable but his exhaustion managed to win out and he'd drifted off almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

He wakes, groggy, clearly interrupted in the middle of some sleep cycle to Tweek shaking his awake.

"Please  _ -ah-  _ wake up Craig" he pleads shakily, he's standing over Craig's bed looking very white.

"My water just broke and  _ -gah-  _ it  _ hurts!"  _ he manages.

"Shit, like real labour?" Craig sits up almost immediately, now completely awake. 

"Real labour. Another one's gonna  _ -ah-  _ come soon and my knees are gonna give. Help me please?" Tweek groans. Craig knows what it's like to have pain bring you to your knees. He moves instantly. 

"Of course, get on my bed and I'll get a nun" he says, Tweek scrambles onto the bed, but shakes his head.

"I don't want them" Tweek whines "they'll take me away and they'll  _ -nghh-  _ separate us."

"You need a birth partner right? I can be that?" Craig suggests. He's scared shitless but he's not leaving Tweek.

"Noooo, they'll take me" Tweek repeats.

"Tweek, you need to go to the hospital. Your baby is early" Craig insists. The baby isn't  _ that early  _ but Craig doesn't see why they should take any chances. Safe is always better than sorry.

"What if I  _ -gah-  _ never see you again?" Tweek says sadly. It's the most vulnerable he's  _ ever  _ seen Tweek and it breaks his heart.

"You'll see me" Craig promises "we'll find a way." Craig knows he probably can't keep that promise, but he needs to give Tweek something to hope for to get him through this.

"Okay" Tweek says shakily, "get the nun." 

—

Craig never sees Tweek again. He knows Tweek's baby was born a little early, but healthy. As Tweek had predicted Craig wasn't allowed to go with him to the hospital and they were separated. Craig spent the rest of the night crying silently into his pillow. Tweek had a baby boy who was adopted out, that was all the scraps the nuns would give him when he asked. Nothing about his whereabouts, all the nuns said was that he left their care once discharged from the hospital. Craig isn't sure if he wants to think Tweek went back to his parents or not. Either he was going back to a very unhappy home or to the streets. Craig isn't sure which one is worse in Tweek's case. 

A few weeks later Craig had his own baby. The pain was awful and the nuns wouldn't consent to him having any pain relief. He looks back on that time as a time of trauma. He was just a kid, nobody told him what was happening or what to do. Nobody gave him any autonomy over his body and he just had to scream and try his best to push when the unsympathetic doctor told him to. 

Craig's baby was a boy too, Craig only got one tiny glimpse of the screaming bundle before he was whisked away. He wasn't allowed to hold him, the nuns said he'd just get attached. They were afraid he'd change his mind, and he probably would have. The nuns hadn't noticed his parents that he was in labor so they didn't come visit until the next day but when he was discharged he went back into their care. His mom spent most of that time cuddling him, telling him he'd done a good thing and that this was for the best.

Craig knows that it was for the best. He couldn't have provided for that baby at that age, love doesn't buy diapers. It doesn't mean he doesn't have regrets. He regrets that he has never known his first born son. He has an empty space in his heart for that baby, he always will. He regrets that he and Tweek couldn't reconnect. He could never find him on the outside. So eventually he gave up, even if it hurts to lose such a kindred spirit. 

Craig went back to school as planned. He finished and began a traineeship to be a secretary. It wasn't his dream job or anything but there wasn't really money for college so he settled. A guy from school courted him, he was in school to be a lawyer. They hit it off, so Craig married him. While the connection wasn't like what he had with Tweek it was still a connection. Different but not better or worse. Craig and Clyde did love and respect one another for real. So Craig told him about his past eventually, and Clyde was sympathetic. 

Once Clyde was done with school they had two daughters together. Craig always thought it was a bit ironic that he never had another son. It's a reminder of the totally different life he leads now. He doesn't know what became of Tweek but he likes to hope Tweek's life is similar. That he knows what it is to love a kid you actually want. 


	5. Day 5 - Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hate weddings" Tweek growls from his mountain of paperwork "let's -gah- never get married!"
> 
> "I've got the boyfriend, the house, the baby… what else can I do next?" Craig replies playfully, enjoying winding his spouse up. He smiles at the little person curled up on his chest, fast asleep. She’s still so new and so fragile. Craig is so scared he’ll break her. 
> 
> "Elope" Tweek quips back, unimpressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter, but much more lighthearted offering. I really enjoyed writing their back and forth dynamic.

"I hate weddings" Tweek growls from his mountain of paperwork "let's  _ -gah-  _ never get married!"

"I've got the boyfriend, the house, the baby… what else can I do next?" Craig replies playfully, enjoying winding his spouse up. He smiles at the little person curled up on his chest, fast asleep. She’s still so new and so fragile. Craig is so scared he’ll break her. 

"Elope" Tweek quips back, unimpressed. 

"It's okay Tweek, I don't  _ really  _ care that much about being married. I know we love each other" Craig replies, stroking his daughters downy hair. 

"We do. We have a  _ -nnn-  _ mortgage and a baby. I'm not going anywhere" Tweek says, sighing at the pile of work in front of him.

"I'm not either, literally. She's pinned me to the couch" Craig laughs. 

In an ideal world Tweek would not be working this wedding season but in an ideal world this baby would’ve been planned much better. She was a surprise, but still the best surprise Craig has ever received. Even if her conception and birth were a little ill timed. She was conceived after a friends wedding, ironically. They’d drunk a little bit too much champagne after Bebe and Clyde’s nuptials (they’d got married off season to avoid all the rush) and weren’t as careful as they should have been. And her due date was right before wedding season. Tweek took maybe two weeks off from running his business before going straight back and launching into the busiest season of the financial year for him. Tweeks business is successful but still a bit too new to warrant him taking too much time off, especially during peak season. Craig is a little overwhelmed, but he understands. Tweek’s floral business is the only reason they  _ can  _ afford an unplanned new baby in the first place. They’re doing whatever they can to make it work, even if Tweek clearly misses them during the day. 

Craig is still recovering from his c-section, but he’s pretty much okay. He has recovered enough to get up to feed her and change diapers and that’s predominantly what she needs at the moment. When Tweek isn’t so stressed he likes to take over after work but today definitely won’t be one of those days.

“This customer” he growls “she keeps  _ -ah- _ changing her colour scheme… so then changing the flowers! And every time I  _ -nnn-  _ say,  _ that’ll be extra  _ she’s just like,  _ my dad will pay.  _ Why do people like that exist Craig? And why does anyone want to  _ -gah-  _ marry them?!”

“I don’t know” Craig mutters, watching his daughter, Aster, wriggle a little in her sleep, “just take a deep breath and think about how much happier your home life is.”

“That’s true. I never thought I’d be able to  _ -ah-  _ say that about myself. After my parents  _ -nghh-  _ bullshit, I never thought I’d be like… look at this happy home life I have” Tweek replies, Craig can hear him calming almost instantly. The reminder of his family soothing him. 

“Your parents are shit. We’ve only been parents for like, three weeks and we’re already better” Craig says. He’s joking, but he’s also not joking at all. Tweek’s parents were so awful, Craig is glad they get to create the happy family Tweek never had. 

“We are, holy shit. I’m so glad she  _ -hnn-  _ surprised us, I didn’t know I’d love being her dad this much” Tweek gushes, Craig loves when he can get Tweek to gush about their daughter. It’s the cutest thing. 

“You do so wonderful for us, running your flower shop so that we can have this apartment and I can be at home with her” Craig affirms. 

“Are you kidding? You so have the  _ -gah-  _ harder end of the stick. Work is busy and annoying but  _ -nnn- _ like, you’re on your own with a  _ new baby  _ all day!” Tweek exclaims like Craig has completed some death defying feat. He was exactly the same about Craig going through pregnancy and labor too. Just in awe. 

“It’s hard work, but I love it” Craig hums happily, Aster snuffling adorably in her sleep. She will probably wake up soon but Craig savours this moment. 

“You still in pain?” Tweek asks, he always checks in on Craig’s healing and recovery. 

“I’m still a little sore but not too much, it’s healing well I think” Craig replies. He’s happy with his progress, he knows c-sections can take up to six months to fully heal. 

“Good, I can’t wait for the  _ -nnn- _ wedding season to be done. I’ll give you so much more help” Tweek promises. 

“I can’t wait too, because I’m selfish and I miss you” Craig says affectionately. 

They share a small smile before Aster wakes up and begins to cry for a feed. Their new life continuing, as is becoming the new normal. 

— 

They named her Aster because it was a name that they felt truly represented the both of them. Craig knew they’d always have some kind of floral name, her father  _ is  _ a florist after all. Aster is a genus of flowers, so it wasn’t as common as some other flower-related names but also, its translation is  _ star.  _ Coming from the Greek  _ asteri,  _ and that’s exactly what Craig wanted. He’d wanted something celestial, he figured that would be her middle name but then they found Aster. Craig felt like it was just so them, it meant something special to them for totally different reasons and once he’d found it there was never any other competition. She was always going to be Aster, and now she’s here. 

They were probably always going to have kids together. The hadn’t had the conversation but Craig thinks they probably would’ve settled there eventually. Although they probably would be older and maybe even married. Craig isn’t sure if they’ll bother with getting married now but before having Aster it had been vaguely discussed.

Tweek might get angry and say he doesn’t want to get married but Craig knows it isn’t really true. They have had plenty of tender conversations about it, but having a baby is kind of a huge deal. It has changed everything and thrown their lives on another course, not in a bad way but in a different way. Spending money and time on a wedding seems frivolous now, especially while she’s so young. She’s their main focus now. Maybe when she’s older they’ll change their minds, maybe they won’t. But it’s not a big deal either way, they’re a family with or without the ring and piece of paper. 

Craig’s tranquil thoughts are disrupted by the sound of the door closing, and Tweek stomping through. It’s not a huge deal, Aster is awake and greedily taking her bottle but Craig sighs anyway. Missing the quiet already.

“Bad day?” Craig asks, although he knows the answer. 

“Stressful and long. I don’t understand why weddings turn people into such  _ -gah-  _ diva monsters!” Tweek fumes, throwing down his bag and planting himself on the couch opposite Craig and Aster. 

“Me either” Craig agrees, watching Aster drink her milk.

“My clients throw more  _ -nghh- _ tantrums and cry more than Aster does! At least Aster is a  _ -gah-  _ baby, these people are  _ grown  _ Craig” Tweek keeps ranting. Craig nods along, letting him let it out. 

“Come hold our beautiful baby, she missed you” Craig offers, Tweek perks up at that, carefully taking her from Craig. Aster begins to whinge as her bottle is disturbed in the transfer, but Craig is quick to give it back to her. 

“I missed her too, and you! Ah, I hate leaving you guys” Tweek says regretfully. 

“I know babe, but it’s gotta be done. Once the business is a bit older you can take more time off” Craig replies sympathetically, he doesn’t personally know how Tweek does it. Craig doesn’t think he could handle going back to work and being separated from Aster all day. 

“I know, I know” Tweek sighs, he smiles when he looks down at Aster though. Her little face makes it all worth it. “I think she’s  _ -nnn-  _ nearly done” he notes.

“Why don’t you burp her, it might make you feel better looking after her for a while” Craig shrugs, he often lets Tweek decide how much baby wrangling he will do once he’s done working. Once the wedding season is done it’ll become more equal but for now, Craig gets Tweek is extra stressed.

“Yeah, I’d like that…” Tweek trails off, watching her intently.

“I think she’s going to  _ -hnn-  _ have your eyes” Tweek says tenderly, after a moment of just staring at their baby mindlessly.

“You think?” Craig asks, he knows her eyes can still change colour at this rate.

“Yeah, I think they’re going brown” Tweek replies “I want her to  _ -nghh-  _ look like you.”

“That’s sweet, but I like that she looks a lot like you” Craig remarks, smiling, “she’s still a tiny newborn though so it could change.”

“I just get a bit sad that I’m  _ -ah-  _ missing out on her being so small” Tweek confesses, transferring her to his shoulder to burp her. Craig takes the bottle from him wordlessly. “She’ll only be this small once” he says wistfully. 

“I know Tweek, you’re making a huge sacrifice for us and I appreciate it so much” Craig tries his best to really assure Tweek just how grateful he is “without you, your dedication and hard work with your business… we couldn’t have built what we have now. We probably couldn’t have afforded to have Aster, you’re the reason I  _ can  _ stay home with her and we don’t have to put her in childcare. That’s the best gift you’ve ever given me Tweek and I’m so,  _ so  _ grateful.” 

“Thank you so much Craig I…” Tweek bites his lip, overcome with emotion “I think I needed to  _ -nnn-  _ hear that. You know I love you and I appreciate everything  _ you  _ do here at home with Aster.”

“Let’s just appreciate what we have” Craig says happily, leaning in to kiss Tweek.

  
“It makes everything so  _ -ah- _ worth it” Tweek agrees, still patting Asters back.


	6. Day 6 - Single Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig tries his best to adjust the headband on his daughter's head. She’s annoyed with him for fussing but Craig is desperate. He’s hoping if he makes her look extra cute maybe the interviewer will forget she’s there. Almost like a bribe, you can’t be mad at a baby, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one got long too, the prompt was so up my alley. I hope you enjoy and you can get where creek are headed by the end.

Craig tries his best to adjust the headband on his daughter's head. She’s annoyed with him for fussing but Craig is desperate. He’s hoping if he makes her look extra cute maybe the interviewer will forget she’s there. Almost like a bribe, you can’t be mad at a baby, right? 

He didn’t want to be taking her but he also hadn’t expected to be having an interview today. The place rang and asked if he was available today. Craig had said yes, not wanting to seem inflexible but then realised there was no one to watch Alicia. What was he supposed to do, it was cancel, or bring her so he figured if he brought her maybe there’d still be a tiny chance he’d get the job. 

She’s still very little but Craig is a single parent and he needs money. He wonders what it’s like to really have time off work after having a baby. To spend all your time just focusing on the new arrival, caring for them, getting them into a routine or mapping their milestones. Craig doesn’t know what that would be like, his savings are running out and he can’t keep asking his mom to loan him money forever. He needs a job. 

Nothing pre-pregnancy fits yet, Craig’s a little disheartened to see just how long it’s taking for his body to go back to normal. It’s not something he can really dwell on right now, so he digs through his pregnancy clothes until he finds a pair of pants that look passable as nice. He also has some button ups he can get into as long as he sucks in his stomach a bit. It’s gonna have to do. 

Alicia is still in the newborn stage, but she’s already showing her personality. She’s a very smiley baby, which Craig is grateful for as this will probably help in the interview. She’s usually content to just sit or be held unless she’s hungry or particularly needs something. Craig loves her little smile so much. She’s always cute, she has a bit of brown hair on her head, blue eyes and lots of smiles. But she’s extra cute today in a pink onesie, a tutu skirt over the top and a bow headband. Maybe the interviewer will remember him because his baby is just  _ that  _ cute. She looks much cuter than he does, while he is showered and clean he still definitely has the chaotic look of a new parent. He’ll be lucky if there isn’t spit up or dribble on his shirt by the time he interviews. But aside from that he  _ does  _ look like he just had a baby, he still has a bit of a belly left over and it’s kinda embarrassing. He just has to hope these people ignore his obvious low self confidence. 

“We needa get going or we’ll miss the bus” he says to Alicia, she of course just gives him a big smile. He scoops her up and cuddles her close. “Here goes nothing” he sighs as they head out the door. 

Craig is broke, so he doesn’t have a stroller but he does have his bulky baby bag. Normally he’d wear her in a baby wrap but that doesn’t seem interview appropriate so he just hopes he can either have her with him or there’ll be a safe place to put her on the ground on her matt with a toy. The bus ride itself is mostly fine, a few people wave and smile at Alicia. She returns their smiles, it’s helpful that his baby is so damn charming because Craig definitely got more dirty looks before she was born. He doesn’t get everyone’s problem, he’s young but he’s not a kid. And plenty of people are single parents, though he supposes maybe his poverty and unpreparedness are maybe obvious to these strangers. He’s gotten this bus route into town since he was a kid. People didn’t notice him then, when he got pregnant they all glared and now that Alicia is here she seems to be winning his detractors over. He has to just carry her, once they’re off the bus. The shop isn’t far from the bus stop so he can manage her and the baby bag, he doesn’t think they’ll be out for too long anyway. He doesn’t want to stay out without the baby wrap. 

It’s a hairdressing salon. Craig got his qualifications while he was pregnant, he just needs someone to take him on as an apprentice. He delayed the search a little though, as he wasn’t going to be able to go to work just after a c-section with a tiny baby. This is a little sooner than he would like but his bank account says otherwise, that and apprenticeships are rare. Craig can’t not apply when he sees one going. He knows his chances are low, lowered even further by Alicia’s presence but what kind of father would he be if he didn’t at least  _ try  _ to provide for her? He has to just put all his cards on the table, be honest but also be confident. If he doesn’t get the job, at least he can say he tried his absolute hardest. 

Craig heads to the public bathrooms before his interview. The parents room, to make sure Alicia’s diaper is fresh and that she’s fed and burped. Hopefully she won't cry during the interview and will be settled. 

“Look at you,” he tells her, pointing to their reflection in the mirror “you look so pretty!” She smiles back big, even though she has no idea what Craig is saying. Craig loves that about babies, she just loves  _ him  _ and it’s such a wonderful feeling. 

He’s nervous but determined as he heads over to the shop. Ready to do whatever it takes to get this job. 

—

The salon seems pretty busy when Craig arrives. He doesn’t see anyone else being interviewed which gives him hope that maybe there aren’t too many candidates he is competing with. He waits at the counter for a few minutes until one of the hairdressers is free to come talk to him. They probably think he’s a customer because nobody brings their kid to a job interview. Alicia is looking around, clearly trying to figure out all the sounds. Craig isn’t sure she can see all that well yet, so he’s not sure she can make out her surroundings beyond blurry moving shapes but she’s definitely interested. 

Finally a girl comes to the counter to greet them. She’s thin with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun above her head. She smiles at them as she approaches, Alicia smiles back which earns a big “hello cutie!” From the girl. 

“How can I help you today?” She asks, still making faces at Alicia.

“Uh, I’m Craig. I’m here for the job interview?” He says nervously. 

“Oh, hi Craig. Thanks for coming in at short notice, we really need someone so we’ve sped up the hiring process a bit” she smiles, she seems relaxed and friendly which is a good sign. Not mad or uptight that he has the baby. 

“That’s okay, I’m just really grateful you guys considered me… I hope it’s okay she’s here? I wouldn’t normally bring her it’s just…” he tries to explain but she cuts him off.

“No that’s okay, we realise it’s short notice” she smiles reassuringly. 

“Thank you so much” Craig repeats dumbly, he doesn’t know what else to say. He better not blow this. 

“Well if you two could just take a seat in the waiting area there? Tweek will be out in a minute to do your interview” she gestures to some chairs by the counter. Some are taken by customers waiting for their appointments but there’s a few free ones. 

“Okay, thanks” Craig replies, he takes Alicia and finds a seat. He’s nervous but Alicia’s nonsensical babbling calms him a little. It still shocks him every single day that he managed to make such a cute kid. He didn’t make her by himself of course, but he tries his best to forget about that part. No use dwelling on the past, he’s gotta press on to the future. 

“Craig?” Calls a guy that must be Tweek. Craig only realises then that not only is Tweek an odd name, but also that Tweek is a dude. He’s not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Tweek is probably about average height, a little on the chubbier side and has rather crazy blonde hair. He isn’t exactly the stereotypical male hairdresser but Craig supposes he isn’t either.

“Hi” Craig says, standing up “that’s me and this is Alicia, I’m sorry I just couldn’t find a sitter in time…”

“No that’s okay, sometimes  _ -nghh- _ stuff happens, we get that” Tweek assures him, “follow me to the back and we’ll do your  _ -hnn-  _ interview.”

Craig does as he is told, relieved that Tweek doesn’t seem too judgemental.

“It’s nice to meet you Craig” he says, shaking Craig’s hand as they both take a seat “I’m Tweek and I’m the  _ -ah-  _ manager here.” 

“Nice to meet you too, is it… ah, is it okay if I hold her or do you want me to put her down on her matt or something?” He asks, so unsure of the right etiquette.

“You can hold her, she’s gorgeous” Tweek replies, like it’s no big deal Craig has his kid at a job interview.

“Thank you” Craig says “this won’t be a regular thing, I normally have childcare for her” he attempts to explain.

“It’s okay, I assume the short notice probably  _ -hnn-  _ threw you for a loop. How old is she?” Tweek asks.

“She was two months last week” Craig says brightly, he could talk about his daughter for days. He can’t though, he has to reign himself in and get this job. 

“Aww, still so small! I remember when my girl was that tiny, it’s  _ -nghh-  _ hard but they’re worth the work” Tweek remarks nostalgically.

“Yeah” Craig agrees “you have a kid too?”

“Yeah, she’s one now. Gotten so big so  _ -ah-  _ quick. So I get what you’re going through, so don’t stress about her being here” Tweek says kindly.

“Thanks so much” Craig replies, genuinely grateful. 

“It’s all good, so tell me about yourself a  _ -hnn-  _ bit? What got you into this profession?” Tweek asks, launching the interview into a slightly more formal mode.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to do hair since I was a kid. And, to be honest I got pregnant so I left school and decided to get qualified so I would have a skill” Craig figures he better lay his cards out on the table. This is the career he’s always wanted to go into, getting pregnant just sped the process up a bit.

“Oh I see, now you just need someone to take a chance on you and  _ -ah-  _ train you right?” Tweek asks and Craig nods.

“Essentially yeah, I know I have her, which complicates things but I’m a hard worker. Having her at home is a huge motivator for me to work hard, do well and provide for her. And a hairdressing job for me would be a career” he says, hoping that his spiel is selling himself some.

“Good to hear, do you have any other  _ -nnn-  _ work experience? Like, outside hairdressing?” Is Tweeks next question.

“I worked at McDonalds I high school, they stopped giving me shifts when I got pregnant” Craig admits, not really wanting to admit just how young he is. Even though it is on his application, saying it out loud feels weirder. 

“Honestly, places are really awful like that, I’m lucky and I worked here while I was  _ -ah-  _ pregnant with my daughter but I’ve seen some  _ -hnn-  _ people just get completely laid off because they were having a baby” Tweek says, the anecdote puts Craig a little more at ease. Tweek seems like a pretty easy going person. 

“I know I haven’t got tons of experience but I am a fast learner, and I’m really keen to learn” he adds, and this is all true. He wants to be a hairdresser, he’s very interested in learning everything he can.

“That’s always good, as an apprentice we don’t  _ -nnn-  _ expect you to have any experience actually hairdressing it’s just nice to know you’ve worked in  _ -ah-  _ other environments. So, is it okay if I tell you a bit more about the job?” Tweek asks him. 

“Sure.”

“So if you’re successful, the position is  _ -nnn- _ four days a week, but we’re flexible with hours and things so if you’d  _ -nghh-  _ rather work more days and less hours that’s up to you. You can  _ -ah-  _ negotiate all that with me later. It’s grunt work to be honest, sweeping up hair, rinsing bowls and cleaning the basins but you will be trained. It’ll be a great experience with the potential to move to junior stylist if you’re a  _ -hnn-  _ good fit” Tweek explains, it’s a lot to take in all in one sitting but it all sounds perfect to Craig’s ears. Exactly the kind of job he was looking for.

“That all sounds great” he replies, “everyone has to start somewhere.”

“Exactly, and Craig, you don’t need to  _ -gah-  _ apologise for your daughter being here okay? I’m a single parent so I totally get where you are coming from and it hasn’t  _ -nnn-  _ made me think any less of you as a potential applicant, okay? Do you have anymore questions for me?” Tweek asks. Craig is very floored that Tweek would go out of his way to out Craig at ease like that, he appreciates the decency even if he doesn’t end up getting the job.

“Yes, when would you want me to start and when will I hear back from you if I’m successful?” He asks, he figures it’s best to know this stuff now, whether he gets the position or not. 

“I’ll call the successful applicant on Wednesday, otherwise it’s an email. And  _ -ah-  _ start time can be negotiable, but we would prefer ASAP. I’m sure you can see we’re pretty short staffed” Tweek points out self deprecatingly. 

“Okay that all sounds amazing. Thanks for meeting with me and considering me despite everything” Craig says, wanting to really convey his gratitude to Tweek. 

“It’s no problem at all Craig, we decided to  _ -nnn-  _ take on an apprentice because we wanted to help a young person start their career and hopefully improve their lives” Tweek replies with a kind smile.

“Still thank you very much, I hope to hear from you soon,” Craig adds again for good measure, Tweek holds out his hand and they shake again. 

“Thank you for coming at such short notice, and thanks for bringing in this smiley monkey” he says, smiling at Alicia. 

“Say bye Alicia” Craig says, moving her hand to wave at Tweek as they head out. 

“Bye bye” Tweek says nicely, returning the wave.

—

Craig has Alicia on his lap when he takes the phone call. He’s shocked when he hangs up, so shocked he lets Alicia knock the phone out of his hands. The clatter brings him back to earth along with the sound of Alicia’s giggles. He got it. Tweek just called him back to offer him the position and of course, he accepted. He is now their new apprentice. It’s the dream job, and he was so unlikely to get it… but now it’s his. He can’t believe it.

He hugs Alicia tight to his chest and takes in her scent. It’s comforting. He’s happy to be finally employed but he’s a little afraid of the big change that’s going to happen. He won’t be able to stay home with his baby every day, although he will have more independence by earning money he will miss her so much. He worked at McDonalds through his pregnancy, until he started to show and was forced to tell his boss. Thus losing the job, he’s mostly been relying on his mom and a small government payment ever since. He used his free time to finish getting his hairdressing certificate. His mom had been absolutely supportive thankfully, she helped him afford things that he couldn’t and has been helping him find his feet. Some people might think she’s helping too much, but the security she’s provided has motivated him to want to find his own. 

“Was that the salon?” His mom asks, beaming at Alicia as she enters the room. Alicia obviously beams back, as always.

“Yeah, they offered me the job,” he says, still sounding shell shocked. 

“Oh that’s wonderful Craig! I knew you’d find something, you just had to give yourself some time!” She gushes bending down to his spot on the couch to hug him. Alicia gets a little squished in the middle and lets out a small squeak.

“Sorry ladybug” his mom says, stroking her hair and giving her a quick kiss.

“It’s great, it’s the job I’ve always wanted but… I’m gonna have to leave her now” Craig trails off, the impact beginning to sink in. 

“She’s so friendly and social, she’ll cope” his mom tries to assure him. Craig thinks she might really like being in daycare, but she won’t be with  _ him  _ and that’s going to kill him. He hasn’t been her parent very long, but he’s already so attached. At least when he was pregnant she want everywhere he did by default. Since she’s been born he’s always been with her, he doesn’t know how the hell he's supposed to hand her over to someone else now. 

“Maybe I won’t” he admits.

“Look, I know it’s hard baby” his mom sympathises “but that’s part of your responsibility as her father. You need to build a career for both you and her.”

“I know, I’ll do it… I’d be stupid not to take this job. I’ll just miss her” he says quietly, hugging her tightly.

“When do you start?” She asks.

“Next Monday, we’re gonna negotiate my hours then” Craig replies, he thinks he’ll do the less days longer hours option Tweek offered. He can be home all day more days with Alicia then. 

“Sounds good, I have a friend at the daycare, I’ll call her and see if we can get her in” his mom says. 

“What if we can’t?” He panics a little, he cannot leave Alicia alone.

“I’ll find someone, you need this job” his mom comforts him. If anyone can make it happen, he’s sure it’s her.

“Okay, thanks mom. I couldn’t do any of this without you” he says, sincerely. Without her he’d be out on the street with no way to feed his kid. He owes her so much.

“It’s okay Craig, you’re still my kid, and you’re way too young to have your own baby but she’s here and we wouldn’t take her back for anything. I’m still gonna parent you, even if you’re a parent yourself” she says smiling at him fondly. 

—

Craig does a close for his first shift. Just him and Tweek, the other stylists had been there at various times throughout the day but now it was just them. Tweek was showing him how to clean everything, once Craig had that figured out Tweek was then going to do the days banking. Craig honestly doesn’t take very long to work it all out, it’s just basic cleaning. Sweep the floors then mop, then go rinse out all the bowls, brushes or tools unused throughout the day. 

“I’ll take the trash out with you  _ -nghh-  _ after, so I can show you how that’s done” Tweek says. 

“Okay sure” Craig replies. His work is mostly cleaning and sometimes preparing things for other stylists but he knew that. He knew that’s where apprentices started, once he is finished his apprenticeship he can probably start to do more creative things but for now, this is where his career begins. 

“Where did  _ -ah-  _ Alicia go today?” Tweek asks him casually.

Craig has been a mix of nerves and sadness today, wanting to do well but missing his baby girl dearly.

“My mom found a daycare for her, my mom is a miracle worker” he tells Tweek. He’d heard all these horror stories about there being no places and things but it turns out there’s more availability when they’re as small as Alicia. Craig assumes that’s because most people are choosing to stay at home with their new babies, he tries not to let that thought guilt him too much. 

“Sounds like it, how are you holding up?” Tweek asks sympathetically. 

“Um okay? I’m happy I have this job obviously but I do miss seeing her all day” Craig isn’t sure how honest he should be on his first day, but Tweek has been very honest and genuine all day so he decides to just say how he’s feeling. 

“That’s natural, I missed  _ -hnn-  _ my daughter so much when she first went into daycare too. I’m not gonna say that it gets easier, but you get more used to it” Tweek assures him, kind of. 

“It’s definitely gonna take me a minute to adjust, but this is good. This is the job I worked hard to qualify for, so I’m happy” he says, it’s a mantra he’s been telling himself in his head all day. 

“I don’t know how old you were when you left school, but I left school  _ really  _ young. Without  _ -nghh-  _ going into the sob story too much I was in a bad home, so when I got into a relationship with  _ -ah-  _ someone older I took the opportunity and left” Tweek explains.

“Well it’s good you got away I guess” Craig isn’t quite sure what to say.

“Sort of, it wasn’t a good relationship. I ended up  _ -nghh-  _ apprenticing here, then I eventually went for manager. I was lucky to get that job, I was pregnant. But they took a chance on me… so I thought I’d pay it forward and take a chance on you” Tweek finishes with a small smile, the story making more sense.

“I’m so glad you did, I do really,  _ really  _ want this job” Craig promises.

“I know, I know most interviewers would  _ -nghh-  _ see the baby and balk but I saw commitment. You wanted this job so much you brought her, even though you knew it might  _ -hnn-  _ dampen your chances. I could see something positive from it” he says to Craig. It’s a nice moment, nice to know someone else can see just how hard he is trying to sort out his life. 

“I can’t thank you enough really…” Craig replies, he really can’t put it into words. He’s just so lucky to have met someone who understood his situation and decided to hire him anyway. 

“Thank me by continuing to do a good job” Tweek says happily.

“I will, so… how old is your daughter? If you don’t mind me asking?” Craig asks, he’s kind of interested in having another person to talk kids with. None of his friends get it.

“Not at all, she’s fifteen months. Her name is  _ -nnn-  _ Hayley” Tweek says, grinning at the thought of her. 

“I remember in the interview you told me you’re a single parent to her? I’m a single parent too. My mom helps but yeah, it’s just me and Alicia” Craig adds, hoping he isn’t being  _ too  _ honest again, but he really really wants another single parent to talk to. 

“Sounds like you have a wonderful mother, my parents are not involved with my life at all. And, I split up with  _ -ah- _ Hayley’s dad when I found out I was pregnant. It was a bad relationship and having a baby was what made me realise I had to leave… once I’d  _ -hnn-  _ left he wasn’t very interested in staying around” Tweek explains.

“That’s so shit. Alicia’s dad just did the whole “she’s not mine” routine and skipped out. I don’t miss him, I just wish she had a nice dad” Craig complains, he’d love to punch all the deadbeat dads out there. It’s just so unfair on the kids. 

“She’s got you” Tweek reminds him.

“Yeah I mean, I just wish she had two parents who adore her. She deserves the best of everything” he says forlornly.

“I know that feeling, but the way I see it, I  _ -hnn-  _ love my daughter enough for all the people who were stupid  _ -nghh-  _ enough to abandon her” Tweek says kindly “I’m sure you’re that for your daughter too.”

“I like that, at least someone is doing right” Craig agrees.

“Exactly, it’s kind of nice to  _ -ah- _ have someone around here who gets it” Tweek says, smiling at him “or even just another person who has a baby.”

“It really is” Craig agrees, feeling positive about the prospect of working here.

—

Craig loves his job so far, but he does miss his daughter dearly while he is at work. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by daycare, she seems to like it well enough. She’s small though, so maybe when she grows older and more aware she might care more. At least he’s getting her used to it now. 

He’s kind of tired from a long day at work and zoning out a little as he waits at the reception desk to collect her. It’s a peak time, so there’s a lot of other parents all coming and going as well. He waits in the line idly, wondering how much sleep she will let him get tonight. He’s so lucky his boss gets the sleep deprivation part or else he might have been in trouble. He definitely would’ve been at McDonald’s. 

“Craig?” Speak of the devil, Craig looks up to see Tweek, not far behind him in the line. 

“Hey, I didn’t realise we both had our kids here,” Craig says.

“I just  _ -nghh- _ switched her over, a place opened up and here is closer to work” Tweek says “it seems  _ -ah- _ nice.”

“Oh fair enough, my mom has a friend who works here so she wanted me to put Alicia in here” Craig replies, he’s actually happy to see his boss. He’s not sure if that’s weird or not. 

“Well, at least you have a familiar face to  _ -hnn-  _ keep an eye on her” Tweek points out. 

“True, I’m just happy somewhere took her, but it’s good, this place is close to work like you said” Craig agrees, it’s not far to the bus stop thankfully. He doesn’t have to walk too far with all her things.

“Do you ever pop in on your lunch break?” Tweek asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“I do yeah, its nice” Craig admits. He only gets an hour and he will bring a sandwich from home, stuff it down on his walk to the centre then spend his remaining time with Alicia. It helps make a hard work day a little more easy.

“It really is, it keeps me going throughout the  _ -ah-  _ day” Tweek agrees “I love the open door policy.”

Their conversation is cut short when Craig realises he has reached the desk.

“I’m here to pick up Alicia Tucker? Craig Tucker” he says to the poor, overworked receptionist.

“Sure, just sign in and I’ll take you to the baby room” she replies, pushing the sign in sheet towards him. Craig does as she moves on to whomever is behind him, beginning the sign in process for them. 

“Okay” she says when Craig is done “you know where the baby room is?” 

“Yeah all good” he says, hoping he can make her job a little easier by escorting himself. 

He makes his way to the room, it’s only a small one as most kids are put in daycare at an older age, but she isn’t the only kid under six months so that makes Craig feel a little better. A teacher is leaning down with her as she plays with some toys on the matt.

“Hi there” she says nicely and Craig returns her greeting warmly.

“Alicia, your daddy is here!” She says excitedly. Alicia doesn’t actually realise what that means until he speaks though.

“Hi there baby!” He says happily, she beams and happily shrieks as he picks her up off the floor.

“Thank you” He says to the teacher, grateful that they seem to genuinely care for his child. 

“It’s fine, she’s such a happy baby. She doesn’t cause much trouble” the teacher replied kindly. 

“I got really lucky” Craig agrees. 

It doesn’t take him long to get a debrief of the day from the teacher, gather up her things and begin to get going. She’s clearly excited to see him, like she always is when he picks her up after work. She’s babbling away at him, Craig likes to think this is her way of telling him about her day. 

“I missed you too baby” he says happily.

“Hey Craig” He turns again to see Tweek calling. A little girl in his arms, bigger than Alicia but still small. “Do you need a ride, Craig?”

“Oh, well, we normally just get the bus” he admits. He feels a little ashamed at not being able to afford a car but it’s definitely on his want list. He hopes maybe he can save some money from this job. 

“Don’t sweat it, I’ll  _ -nghh-  _ drop you. I have a car seat, believe it or not” Tweek grins.

“Can I ask why?” Craig is intrigued. Car seats are expensive, Craig hasn’t got one, let alone a spare. 

“Honestly I didn’t  _ -ah-  _ throw it out when Hayley outgrew it. I  _ -nghh-  _ should have though. You can have it if you want” Tweek offers nonchalantly, like it’s nothing. 

“I can’t…” Craig replies, he wants to say yes but he feels so pathetic.

“Why not? Pay it forward and all that” Tweek reminds him “you can do a  _ -nghh-  _ good thing for someone else sometime if the moment arises and you can consider that paying me back.”

“I just…” Craig stutters, unsure if he really can accept such kindness.

“Craig, take it, I was only  _ -ah-  _ gonna give it to a thrift shop or something anyway. Don’t worry about it, let’s get it set up” Tweek explains before popping his trunk. “It’s  _ -nnn-  _ in there, just let me strap Hayley in first.”

“Okay, Thank you” Craig replies, speechless “I don’t know how I can thank you enough.”

“Hey, maybe next time we both have a day off our girls can have a  _ -nghh- _ playdate?” Tweek asks, smiling at Craig kindly. 

“Yeah, I’d like that” Craig nods. 

The future is looking up, at the very least he has a friend in Tweek. 


	7. Day 7 - Long Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig both loves and hates the noises of Skype. He loves them because Tweek will be on the other line and he always wants to talk to Tweek. He hates it because it’s a reminder he and Tweek are apart. He just has to hold out, they’ll be together again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short and sweet one for the last day. I liked showing this little moment and it felt silly to try and make it longer. I won't have time to do the bonus day as I have uni assignments. Hope you guys enjoyed reading :)

Craig both loves and hates the noises of Skype. He loves them because Tweek will be on the other line and he always wants to talk to Tweek. He hates it because it’s a reminder he and Tweek are apart. He just has to hold out, they’ll be together again soon. 

Tweek is in college, to be a teacher and while Craig misses him dearly he knows this is something they have to do. Craig is at home with their one-and-a-half year old. Accepting the generous help his mother has offered them while Tweek is at school. It’s going to be a hard three years (well only two now) but it'll be better for their future. They don't have the money to all move out together, they really need the help Craig's mom is offering. 

Tweek got a scholarship, a  _ full _ scholarship. He worked so hard and they can't turn down an offer like that. Tweek's parents are helping him with his expenses while Craig's parents are helping him with baby expenses. Craig has a part time job, but that's recent. He got pregnant while still in school, throwing their plans all off track. Craig's mom was insistent they finish school, so Tweek moved in with them at least until school was due to end. Tweek hadn't actually expected to get in but his parents pushed him to apply. Even when he did get in, he was going to knock it back. Saying it would make him a deadbeat dad. But Craig couldn't have that, couldn't let him give away such a perfect opportunity. So he talked Tweek into going even though he knew this meant it would separate them. He used the argument that this would really help them have a better future as a family. Tweek couldn't really say no to that, so he went.

It hurt like hell, being seperated. Suddenly becoming a single parent. Their daughter, Beatrix, is still at a pretty pleasant age (if chaotic) but the terrible twos are coming. And Craig is gonna have to weather them predominantly alone. Tweek comes to visit every break and skypes them every day but it's not the same. 

He's brought back to earth by the ringing of the skype call. He settles Bea in his lap, she's tired and he'll put her to bed after this. Once she's down he will probably call Tweek back and they'll talk into the night. But she needs to see her daddy, even if it's just through a computer screen. He accepts the call to see Tweek's smiling face.

"Hello! My two favorite loves!" Tweek exclaims, waving at them.

"Hi daddy" Craig replies "look Bea, it's daddy!"

"Dada" Bea says happily, she can't say much else yet but she knows  _ that  _ word very well. 

"What have you guys been  _ -nnn-  _ doing today?" Tweek asks 

"Mostly just playing and napping" Craig says "I didn't have work so I had her all day."

"Mmm ba ba ba!" Bea babbles excitedly. Seeing daddy always makes her happier.

"Sounds like a nice day" Tweek replies.

"You?" Craig enquires. He likes to live a little vicariously through Tweek.

"Uh, I had two  _ -nghh-  _ lectures then work. I came straight home to call you guys" Tweek says "work was super busy."

"No studying?" Craig teases. Tweek shakes his head.

"I'll do some when you're putting Bea to bed" he promises.

"I know you will Tweek, I was just joking" Craig says sympathetically "I miss you so much."

"God, me too. Both of you. She grows so  _ -ah-  _ much while I'm away and I just feel like the worst dad… and the worst partner" Tweek admits guiltily. He says this almost every time they chat and Craig tries to assure him that they're doing the right thing but it clearly eats at him.

"You're so not, you're making this sacrifice so that we can all have a better life… I'm proud of you" he assures. Holding Bea a little closer as he does, in this moment he feels very privileged to be the one caring for her.

"I pretty much feel the same way about you. You're  _ -hnn- _ raising her so I can go to school" Tweek replies tenderly "I love you so much." 

"I'm honestly so glad you're going. Sometimes I feel a bit jealous but, I know you're doing it for us and that makes me love you more" Craig assures him. 

"Definitely. I try my best to just focus on  _ -gah-  _ study and work, I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage" Tweek says. Tweek desperately doesn't want Craig to think he's off at college having fun and being a deadbeat. Craig knows he isn't. 

"I know this and I trust you fully. How else do you think we made it through one year of long distance already?" Craig replies with a laugh. 

"One year? Ugh I wanna die" Tweek groans.

"Don't say that!" Craig chastises, moving away Bea's hand as she tries to grab at the laptop screen.

"Okay I don't wanna die, but I wanna  _ -nghh-  _ be home with you and our baby!" Tweek clarifies, he's smiling adorably at his daughter through the screen. 

"I know, absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Or at least, in our case it does. I know I still love you more than ever" Craig says, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"I feel the same. Hey this isn't official or anything, but you  _ will -nnn-  _ marry me when I'm done, right?" Tweek asks, he's asked Craig about fifty times since they've been apart but its still very sweet every time. 

"The being apart basically makes me want to marry you more than ever" Craig assures him.

"Good, I'll ask you properly when we're  _ -ah-  _ actually together and I can do something nice. I just wanted to make sure that all those times we talked about it you were serious too" Tweek explains "because I'm dead serious, man."

"Of course, it's just better to do it after you've finished school. I don't want to wedding plan with a kid on my own" Craig says. He giggles a little at Tweeks sweet words but he also knows better than to get too caught up in the love and the butterflies. He has a child to think about.

"No way man, I wanna  _ -gah-  _ be there and like, help with everything… and her being older will be nice" Tweek agrees.

"Ah gah!" Bea interrupts, wriggling in Craig's lap and swatting at the screen again.

"Yes, you!" Tweek grins, "The older she is the  _ -nnn- _ more involved she can be." 

"And the more she'll remember" Craig agrees. There's something very sentimental about that, all three of them together as Tweek and Craig are married. Craig wants that more than anything. 

"Definitely, I always thought it was  _ -nghh- _ cute when couples involved their kids. So when we had her still in  _ -ah-  _ school and stuff… I wanted that for us when we did get married" Tweek says, a little misty eyed. Clearly imagining their nuptials. 

"I like that too, I think Miss would just like the attention" Craig says, kissing her cheek and earning a giggle and smile "yes you do!" 

"Dada! Dadadada!" She exclaims, definitely wanting both Tweek and Craig's full attention on her. 

"Yes baby girl?" Tweek replies. He always tries his best to include her in conversation even if she mostly just babbles. 

"Ah! Mmm ba!" She tells him. He nods. Listening intently. 

"Really, huh? You got a story for me?" He asks her.

"I love her stories. Did I tell you she's trying to read?" Craig tells Tweek, suddenly reminded of this new development. 

" _ What?!"  _ Tweek exclaims. 

"Not  _ actually  _ reading calm down. We don't have a genius on our hands. She's just copying the actions. Holding the book and turning the pages and stuff" Craig does his best to explain. She's not a prodigy or anything but the fact that she's going through the motions and showing interest is encouraging. 

"Oh wow Beatrix! Aren't you a  _ -gah-  _ clever girl!" Tweek coos at her, she giggles happily. 

"Maybe we can get an early reader on our hands if we just keep encouraging?" Craig smile, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

"I hope so. Do you think I could read a bedtime story over  _ -hnn-  _ skype sometime?" Tweek asks. Craig can't believe that they hadn't thought of this earlier. 

"Of course you can! But probably not tonight, since the routine is kind of already started" Craig replies apologetically. 

"No of course, I'll buy a new book after work tomorrow. It can be a  _ -nnn- _ special treat" Tweek smiles, Craig appreciates his enthusiasm for trying to bond with his daughter even from so far away. 

"Sounds great… I wanna keep you involved as possible, in any way I can" he says, a little sad and very honest. 

"Yeah… I wanna do everything I can too. I just don't want her to forget I'm her  _ -nghh-  _ daddy" Tweek admits. 

"I don't think she's going to forget. I'll never let her, that, and you're home every break to spoil her" Craig reminds him, hoping the happy memories will lift his spirits. 

"I know, it never feels like enough" he adds. 

"Yeah" Craig agrees "but that's not your fault okay? You are doing everything you can for us."

"I'm trying to yeah… I just hope it's all worth it when we can finally all be together" Tweek replies, sounding a little more hopeful. 

"I think it will be. You'll be a teacher and we can get our own place. Even if we just rent an apartment… we can get married… I think it'll be great" Craig nods and smiles. It might not be perfect, or even easy, but it'll be their life together. 

"I think so too, I don't want her to  _ -ah-  _ grow up too fast, but also I really want us to be together" Tweek says. And that's their dilemma really, they want these two years to go fast but at the same time they know their daughter will not be this small forever. 

"Maybe in the future we can have another baby, and if you want to… you could be the one to stay home?" Craig suggests. He's unsure if this is actually what Tweek wants, but he figures it's worth suggesting. 

"I think I'd like that, but not for a while. When we're older" Tweek says with a laugh. 

"And married" Craig adds.

"Yes, definitely. Lets have  _ -nnn-  _ one child in wedlock at least" Tweek replies jokingly. It's a joke, but Craig kind of agrees with it, he's not religious or anything but he just really wants to be married to Tweek. No more babies until they're married. 

"I love you so much" is all Craig can say in reply. Just in awe of how much he loves his partner and how happy Tweek makes him feel, even through a computer screen. 

"I love you too… I can't wait to  _ -hnn-  _ come home to you" Tweek says quietly. 

"Soon, just get through your semester" Craig encourages and Tweek nods.

Their moment is interrupted by Bea who is beginning to whine.

"She's tired babe, it's past her bedtime" Craig says regretfully. 

"Okay love, sleep well baby girl I  _ -nghh-  _ love you and I will talk to you tomorrow" he says and blows them a kiss.

"Say bye bye daddy!" Craig says, pointing at the screen. Bea waves, not quite able to say 'bye' yet. 

"Call me back when she's down" Tweek says with a smile, "I wanna  _ -hnn- _ fall asleep to your voice."

"Okay babe, love you" Craig promises. 

"Love you both! Goodnight!" Tweek beams. 

"Night!" Craig replies, always a little sad to end the conversation. 

Craig smiles as he clicks off the computer, Bea wriggling in his arms. They're so far apart, but Craig knows they'll make it. He's never had his heart so full of love for another, well, apart from their child. 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is blesspastacraig if you wanna be firends :)


End file.
